Reciprocal activation of the orbitofrontal cortex and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in processing ambivalent stimuli.
The neural basis of ambivalence has not yet been identified. We investigated the prefrontal cortical activations implicated in evaluative processing of ambivalent stimuli under the forced and non-forced response conditions. Cerebral blood flow was measured using H(2)(15)O positron emission tomography in twelve normal volunteers during a modified word-stem completion task that was designed to evoke different conditions of ambivalence. The prefrontal cortical activations were restricted to the orbitofrontal cortex during the non-forced ambivalent condition, whereas the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the frontopolar cortex were activated in addition to the orbitofrontal cortex during the forced ambivalent condition. It is remarkable that the orbitofrontal cortex and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex demonstrated a reciprocal activation pattern, which might be linked to the evaluative attitude toward the ambivalent stimuli.
Jung
Young-Chul
YC
Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemeun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Republic of Korea.
Park
Hae-Jeong
HJ
Kim
Jae-Jin
JJ
Chun
Ji Won
JW
Kim
Hye Sun
HS
Kim
Nam Wook
NW
Son
Sang Jun
SJ
Oh
Maeng-Gun
MG
Lee
Jong Doo
JD
D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010465:Perception; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics; D055815:Young Adult